Serenade me Natsuki
by Lady Arrow21
Summary: Post-HiME Carnival. Natsuki owns a guitar, she's fine with it but you may ask what about her voice? Does the ex-kaichou a.k.a Shizuru find it lovely? Or will it get them somewhere else?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Characters are not mine, only the puppy, and neither the song and lyrics I used, if it had been I would be topping the Billboards Chart.

**A/N:** A BIG thank you to my beta reader, windtamer01, for editing (bearhugs!)

Edit: Decided to break it down to chapters. (=.=) sorry for the mail alerts.

* * *

Friday afternoon. Natsuki went to Shizuru's apartment after her class. Shizuru and Natsuki have agreed that the younger girl will stay at the ex-kaichou's apartment over the weekend since they both have schools on weekdays. She then decided to wait for Shizuru to come home and get some rest.

Natsuki put down her duffel bag and a guitar casing as she searched for her keys in her jacket's pocket.

'_I wonder what will Shizuru think once she sees this._' Natsuki grinned to herself with the thought while eyeing the guitar casing she brought with her.

The blue haired girl pushed the door open. To her delight, she saw a brown puppy scampering towards her. Unluckily, it tripped on its hind legs and came sliding on her tummy to meet Natsuki's shoe with her nose. She whimpered, looking up at Natsuki with those über cute puppy eyes.

"Hehehe, so you thought that was cute, eh?" Natsuki bent down to pick up the puppy. "Well, silly it is. But do not do that again, OK?" she told the puppy as she playfully stroke her head. The puppy licked her chin which made Natsuki chuckle.

Natsuki cuddled the puppy for awhile. How ironic that simple things could bring joy to her. She hadn't felt that particular sensation for a long while now except of course not with Shizuru around. Setting the puppy aside, the blue haired girl collected her things outside of the apartment and left them in the sitting room.

Plopping herself down on the sofa, she reached for her guitar casing. She was about to open the case when she heard the puppy barking just outside of Shizuru's room. Natsuki simply ignored her pet's behavior and she proceeded in opening the case. The puppy seemed to sense this; it walked bouncingly to where Natsuki is. Tilting her head to the right, hazel brown eyes looked curiously up to a pair of emerald ones.

"Sit." Natsuki commanded. The puppy obeyed, still looking up at her.

Natsuki smiled at her. She started strumming her dark blue colored guitar to the only tune she knew so well. The puppy stood on her hind legs upon hearing this and barked wildly at Natsuki. Not contented, it walked to Natsuki and put her front paws to the girl's legs, letting out a low growl.

"Aaarr… arrfff…!" the puppy barked up at her.

"What is it now?" she asked the puppy irritably. '_Silly, how can a puppy talk to you back?' _She thought a matter-of-factly.

The puppy circled in her previous location, waiting for her master's response. The blue haired girl decided to stand up, putting her guitar carefully on the sofa. She crossed her arms while an eyebrow shot up. '_What's with this puppy? Does it mean she don't like the tune I'm playing? Humf…! Before it was 'that cat', now it's this puppy!' _She felt a pang of regret over this.

"Duran!" she called for her puppy as it runs out of the sitting room.

"Huuuhh?" Natsuki growled when she saw the puppy waiting for her outside of Shizuru's room. She headed to where the puppy was. It was now wagging her black streaked tail.

"You want me to go inside?" Natsuki asked the brown puppy while pointing her finger into Shizuru's room. She received a happy yelp from the puppy.

'_Did I just see this puppy grin or was it my imagination?'_, she thought to herself noticing the puppy's exaggerated wagging tail which made her rear flail from side to side. Natsuki opened the room catching a familiar scent as she walked inside, Duran trailing behind her. Ah, how much she missed this. So much that the scent had made her forget about her puppy, not knowing why it had led her to Shizuru's room, the very room where they shared a lot of blissful memories together.

She laid on her stomach lazily on Shizuru's queen sized bed. Burying her face unto the ex-kaichou's pillow, the blue-haired girl closed her eyes, heaving a sigh of relief she smelled Shizuru's unique scent left on the pillow. A yelp from the foot of the bed broke Natsuki from her trance. She opened her eyes glancing down on the puppy who was now staring at a purple iPod with speakers sitting idly on Shizuru's bedside table. She reached for it and shifted her position lying on her back as she switched it on.

Natsuki stared blankly at the iPod as only one title of a song was added onto it, she noticed that the song was added repeatedly making a list of 20 or more.

'_She listens to this too? I wonder. What was that woman thinking? She could've just activated the repeat option if she wanted to listen to it all day long. Sigh.' _Natsuki wondered adding this thought to a long mental list of her girlfriend's weird antics. She smiled and discarded the thought to herself. '_Bah. It had been only nice things with her, not weird.' _A silly grin formed on her lips.

Natsuki decided to put back the iPod to where it was previously located. She need not listen to the song; she knew it very well by heart. A brown puppy at the foot of the bed is now getting impatient with her master. Duran bit Natsuki's fingers that had been absent-mindedly flinging on the side of the bed.

"Ouch! Hey, why you little…!" Natsuki angrily scowled at her puppy.

Duran lowered her head staring at Natsuki with such cute puppy eyes. The blue haired girl, defeated by this, let out a heavy sigh. How can she resist this cute little creature?

"It's okay, it really didn't hurt." Natsuki told her puppy and picked her up. She put the puppy on her chest and it crawled to a comfortable position reaching anywhere at her face and licking it, Natsuki giggled.

"Duran, where did you learn all this?" Natsuki asked. Getting ticklish from such action, she tried to stop her puppy from licking her. Duran suddenly stopped and was now eyeing the iPod again. Natsuki wondered what was really up with her puppy, and the iPod? She reached for it and decided to hit the play button wondering what kind of miracle was hidden on it that made Duran behave oddly

'_Hmmm… what's with this iPod? I really wonder why Duran led me to Shizuru's room and suddenly staring… at this…' _Natsuki's thoughts trailed off as she heard a familiar strumming of a guitar, not the one of the artist's who originally played the song. It was faint but audible to the ears. To her surprise, the brown puppy lying on her chest rested its head on its front paws and yawn with all her might.

As she listens to the iPod, the tune gets clearer this time. The player paused; Natsuki knew that the one playing would sing the first stanza of the song.

_Will you count me in?_


	2. Chapter 2

Edit: Decided to break it down to chapters. Nothing new added. (=.=) sorry for the mail alerts.

* * *

Natsuki suddenly sit up as she heard her own voice. Duran, startled, fell from Natsuki's chest making her way down on the floor with a light thud.

"What the hell?! That's just what I am supposed to…"

"Ara, Natsuki?" a Kyoto-ben woman entered her own room finding a surprised Natsuki on her bed.

"Shi-zu-ru!" Natsuki spat out as she turned her head to meet a pair of crimson eyes staring at her. "How… how the hell did you get this?!" unable to calm her voice, Natsuki asked her girlfriend and a blush was now forming on her cheeks.

Shizuru walks towards Natsuki; she stopped as she was met by a brown puppy looking happily at her other owner.

"Ara, what treasure did the two of you found now, Duran-chan? Hmmm." Shizuru asked the brown puppy, completely ignoring a flustered Natsuki.

"Tch, so my girlfriend finds our puppy cuter than I do?" Natsuki countered Shizuru's teasing.

"Natsuki! Ikezu!" the older girl feigns a hurt expression.

The blue haired girl knew that this was a fake. But who was she kidding anyway? She doesn't want to see Shizuru with that kind of expression.

"Shizuru…" she sighed. Come here." Natsuki pulled Shizuru to her lap to give her a tight embrace and thus giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"See, I just wanna know how you got this song? Tell me, please?" the bluenette knew Shizuru was defeated by this action; a blush slightly formed on the older girl's cheeks.

"Ara, but first did Duran-chan made you play it? She loves listening to it as much as I love to." Shizuru smiled at Natsuki. "I will tell you how I got Natsuki's song for the price of serenading me with it, per-so-na-lly. You have your guitar with you, right?"

"Baka. Okay, I will." Natsuki shrugged, her purpose defeated, somehow.

Shizuru leaned forward and gave Natsuki a quick peck on her right cheek.

"Natsuki's so cute." Shizuru smiled at her girlfriend as she trailed off on the events that happened three days ago…

* * *

Three days ago…

A busty red-orange haired girl was trying hard not to laugh at her bestfriend's nth attempt on singing _Bubbly_ the way its artist had beautifully executed it, though the bluenette was doing fine with the guitar.

…_please stay for a while now  
just take your time  
where ever you go…_

Natsuki suddenly stopped, slapped her right hand to her forehead then dropped it on the ground and grabbed a handful of grass then threw it to Mai's direction.

"Hey, Natsuki!"

"That's it! I am not singing this anymore you know!" a bulging vein formed on her temple.

"Well, its okay if you don't. Your guitar is just fine, perhaps you may have the need of me doing the singing thing for the sake of not literally destroying the mood." Mai said while laughing at Natsuki.

"Oi, Ma-i maybe I can sleep now since Natsuki have stopped from singing." a spiky haired girl interjected as she snuggled on Mai's lap.

"Mikoto, I doubt Natsuki will make it a lullaby now that she hears that from you."

"Gah! Dammit Mai, are you really my bestfriend?!" Natsuki shoved the guitar on its case.

"Hey, sure I am your bestfriend. If I were not, I would not be criticizing you, right?" Mai stopped from laughing and was now concerned on Natsuki's behavior. She was obviously restraining herself from giggling to laughing from the very beginning Natsuki asked her to listen to her.

"Say, are you planning on serenading Fujino-san?"

Natsuki just glared at Mai. Why would she even tell Mai about her plan.

'_Natsuki.' _Mai sighed to herself. "Neh Natsuki, you've been practicing that song for a week now. One week and two days to be exact. It's the only piece you said you want to give a shot. You did well with the guitar, but your voice…"

"Yeah yeah I know my voice sucks. Got it?"

"I didn't say that. Look Natsu,"

"What?!"

"You know, she'll appreciate it. No matter how much out of tune you are or how your voice, well err… Natsuki, the thing is, it is the thought that counts you put into it, nothing else."

"How do you know that?"

"Because that's how Fujino-san is. Especially when it comes to you Natsu." Mai beamed at her bestfriend. She was then aware that the discouragement that have settled on Natsuki earlier is now gone.

"Heh, alright." Natsuki smiled at Mai. She knew that if it's anything that's got to do with her, Shizuru would find it cute anyway.

Meanwhile, behind the bushes not far from the trio, a handsome girl wildly snapped at her cell phone as she caught pictures of them and managed to record Natsuki's performance awhile ago.

'_Hee hee. This is amazing! It would be a big gossip.' _She sprinted away to their classroom having only one goal in mind: to show off.

* * *

"Chie-sensei, this is wonderful!"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh." Chie nods enthusiastically at Aoi's comment. "And guess what I've got with that!" Chie browses her cell phone looking for the sound clip she had recorded earlier and hit the play button.

"Awww… Kuga-san's soo sweet…! Do you know to whom she's gonna sing this to?"

"Well, do you have anyone else in mind…?"

A sudden scream of fangirls filled the hallway breaking the two gossipers' conversation.

"Ara, Harada-san I thought Natsuki is here when I heard her voice. But I guess I thought wrong." A brunette entered their classroom with her usual smile on her face. Her tone sending an atmosphere of doom to whoever deceives her regarding the whereabouts of Natsuki.

"Eek! Fu-fujino-san?" Chie stutters, she was too afraid to face the still famous ex-kaichou.

"Yes, Harada-san?"

"If-if you're looking for Kuga-san she's with Mai at the garden." Chie hardly turned to Shizuru's direction as if having a sore neck.

"Thank you, Harada-san. By the way may I have a look at your cell phone? It seems that there is something in it I need to be taking care of." Shizuru snatched the cell phone out of Aoi's grip without even waiting for Chie's permission.

"Ara, ara." Shizuru's mask of perfection slipped for a bit, fumbling over her discovery. _'Fufu. What do I have here now? So cute! What was my Natsuki thinking?' _Shizuru turned on her heel and exited the classroom, a shade of red forming on her face.

"Uhmm, Fujino-san?" Chie called Shizuru's attention.

"Yes, Harada-san?" Shizuru added a tone of annoyance on her voice as she turned her head to Chie, her smile never failing to deliver its verdict.

'_God, help me! What's with this woman? Soo scary.' _Chie mentally cried to herself. "What are you going to do with my cell phone?"

"Oh, I did tell you, right? I said there is something I need to be taking care of from this." Shizuru waves with her right hand the most precious thing ever granted to Chie. "I think I will be borrowing it for awhile and if something happens to this, I will buy you a new one. Is it okay now to lend me your cell phone? I won't take no for an answer." Shizuru added, her smile never wavering but now with its usual mirth.

"H-h-hai." Chie replied unknowing what she just had agreed to.

"Ookini!" Shizuru walked out of the classroom.

Aoi, who had just seen the events befall her friend, is now shaking Chie who seemed to be petrified.

"Chieee! Hey, you okay? Snap out of it."

"M-m-my precious thing… NOOOOOOOO!" She suddenly realized what she had just done.

And Shizuru was snickering away finding Natsuki.


	3. Chapter 3

Edit: Decided to break it down to chapters. Nothing new added. (=.=) sorry for the mail alerts.

* * *

"And that happened when I came to visit Natsuki during her break." Shizuru finished her story.

'_Poor Chie.' _Natsuki sighed after Shizuru's revelation. _'Why can't I just surprise this woman all by myself? It has always been her.' _Natsuki laid on her back, staring on the ceiling.

"Natsuki thinks I overdid it again," Shizuru sniffed and covered her face with her hands.

The blue haired girl reached her hands only with one purpose. Shizuru then removed her hands from her face but only to be surprised that Natsuki didn't planned on holding her hands instead the bluenette pinched her nose.

"Ouchie! Natsuki no ikezu!"

"Heh, yes I am Natsuki ikezu all year long and I don't mind." The bluenette smiled up at her girlfriend. "Don't move a muscle till I say so, ok?" The brunette nods. Natsuki walked out of the room with Duran tailing beside her.

The two didn't take long, Natsuki came back with her dark blue guitar. Shizuru gasped at the sight; she never thought Natsuki would still be doing what she wanted from the younger girl. A red hue was evident on both sides of her cheeks.

Natsuki landed a sweet kiss on Shizuru's forehead.

"Neh Shizuru, I think what Chie had recorded a few days ago that awful tune of mine, I've done better… maybe a little. Well, you don't have to get yourself too excited at the least." Natsuki smiled at her and stuck out her tongue. On the other hand, Shizuru was so tempted with this gesture that she lunged forward towards Natsuki wanting only to kiss the younger girl full on the lips. But the bluenette knew all too well this was going to happen so she's cautious enough to lean back.

"Nah uh-uh!" Natsuki smirked at her girlfriends' reaction while wagging her index finger in front of her. "I told the ex-kaichou not to move a muscle until her Natsuki says so, didn't I?"

Shizuru only managed to reply with a huge pout. "Natsuki can be so meanie if she really wants to."

"I have the best teacher in town." The younger girl sat down on Shizuru's right side facing her and put her guitar on her lap. "I never back down on my word though I almost had enough of your storytelling, but it can't be helped. This is what I really wanted to do from the very beginning." She put her fingers on the guitar's strings as she played the first notes of the song.

_I've been awake for a while now  
you've got me feelin like a child now  
cause every time I see your bubbly face  
I get the tingles in a silly place_

True, Natsuki have had improved in the past few days in terms of her singing. Shizuru can't help but be awed at the sight Natsuki is giving her.

_It starts in my toes  
and I crinkle my nose  
where ever it goes I always know  
that you make me smile_…

Natsuki sings these lines staring at her girlfriend's crimson eyes. She smiles upon receiving an overwhelming feeling from the beholder.

'_Ara, Natsuki you just don't know how much I wanted to hold you right now.' _Shizuru stares back at Natsuki restraining herself until the younger girl permits her to do so. She only then allowed her eyes express what she really felt inside, her expression filled with love.

…_You tucked me in just like a child now  
Cause every time you hold me in your arms  
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth…_

Shizuru cannot hold on any longer to any of her restraints. "It starts in my soul, and I lose all control. When you kiss my nose, the feelin shows. Cause Natsuki makes me smile…" she sings with Natsuki, the song totally engraved in her head. And as she did so, she leans forward to the younger girl, wanting and needing.

"Baby just take your time now, holdin me tight…" Natsuki stopped Shizuru with her right index finger pressing lightly on her lips. The younger girl giggled at Shizuru's action.

_Where ever, where ever, where ever you go  
Where ever you go, I'll always know  
Cause you make me smile here, just for a while…_

Natsuki finishes the song while gently stroking the brunette's flushed red cheek. Shizuru shut her eyes for a moment feeding from the warmth Natsuki is giving her.

"How is it? Did you like it?" Natsuki asks after a second.

"Ara, why is Natsuki asking me questions when you know the answer?"

"I just wanna hear it from you."

"I don't like it." Shizuru told her bluntly.

"Huh?" Natsuki's mouth dropped.

"I loved it. I loved it, Natsuki and it is much better than listening from my iPod." Her lips formed a devious grin. "And I don't mind if Natsuki sings it for me to sleep." She kissed the bluenette's forehead down to her nose.

"Now, what silly place does Nat-su-ki feels that tingly feeling?" Shizuru pulled the younger girl's guitar out of her way and shoved it at a corner of the bed. "Where do you want to start?" She asked Natsuki seductively bringing both her arms to the latter's neck.

"Oh, are we going there?" Natsuki hugged the brunette, knowing well what will happen next. "Where ever you go Shizuru… I know… you don't mind… finding it… over… and… over… again." She said in between kisses.

FIN.

* * *

Omake:

Scene: Shizuru pinning down Natsuki

Duran: (covers her eyes with both of her ears adding her paws) Don't they remember I am still a puppy and I should not be seeing this things?

Duran hears a familiar whistle outside of the apartment. Runs towards it and found her true master.

Author: So how did it go?

Duran: Mission accomplished! But…

Author: ???

Duran: You should have not ended it that way… You know, add this and that, here and there…

Author: Stop! I shall not feed you for one day if you insisted! Understand?

Duran (the ever voracious eater): WHY?! (shocked)

Author: No way I can possibly write this and that! Let's go home!

* * *

Chie: …

Aoi: Hey, Chie we've been here three days straight. Please snap out of it!

Chie: … (still petrified)

Aoi: (thinks of something) you can borrow my cell phone for your convenience sake.

Chie: Nooooo… Fujino-san! You are so gonna get it somedaaayy! Aaahhh…!

* * *

**A/N:** phew… finally they can stop nagging my head now. Duran is my 2 month old puppy, she responds more to it than Mayo and Natsuki names, I experiment a lot with names for my pets. Thank you to everyone who read this, I appreciate it (smiles).


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